The journey started on a serene Thursday evening in
Bhubaneswar, boarding the busses to the station. After a melee of flying
luggage and bodies, we managed to reach the station on time roaming about dissipating
the excess of energy accumulated within us as a result of the anticipation of
three days of excitement. Once aboard the train, we were separated into
different parts of the train as per the sport we played. Being a footballer, I
was allocated a seat with the football team. The journey to Jamshedpur was an
enriching experience as throughout the night, the interaction with our seniors
was amplified and by the time we reached early in the morning, the feeling of
brotherhood and camaraderie was flowing strong. We entered Jamshedpur, feeling
like brother in arms ready to lay down our lives for the team.
We were met by the XLRI contingent, whereupon we
boarded a bus taking us to the XLRI campus. As we entered the campus, the view
that met our eyes was of unfathomable beauty. Basking under the warm morning
sunshine, the teams were going through their exercises on the rich green
fields. I noticed a blue platoon, which was the football team warming up just
before their practice sessions as our bus passed the football field.
Upon reaching the place which we were to call home
for the next three days, we quickly had breakfast and drifted into a slumber as
the energy from the night before drained off. We were woken up by a call for a
practice session to be held to scope out our battleground and our enemy. As we
stepped onto the field for the first time, the feeling was of both excitement
and sluggishness from the journey. We had a short session and went back ‘home’
to rest for the main event the day after.
The morning after as we left for the matches, the
determination to win burned strong in the eyes of each and every one of us from
the XIMB contingent. We battled in our respective fields in the burning sun and
the icy showers in the same day, with a mixture of glory and anguish. At the
end of the day our conclusion was that it had been a successful day for the
institute. With night upon us and the second day of battle approaching rapidly
we decided to parley and voice out our opinions on the changes and improvements
to be implemented the day after. The participation and dedication of every
member of the contingent was evident from the passion oozing out of the
demeanor of each individual.
The final day of the event arrived with bright
sunshine. Again we ploughed into the battle, with scars and bruises, hauling
the beaten and broken along with us. Fresh legs were employed while the broken
shouted words of support and advice from behind. As the day progressed our
efforts started bearing fruits, as slowly we got to know of the glory achieved
event by event. There were some lost battles along the way, ending in tears,
but the aim was to win the war, i.e. win Valhalla. The sports as well as
cultural teams were crowned winners and runners up in various events. The
cultural team turned out to be the dark horse in the race, sweeping all the
events. Alas, the war was won and the army at peace.
We got onto the bus and were back at the station
where it all took off. The journey back to Bhubaneswar was of reminiscence,
reflecting on the experience and glory of those three days. Three days that
will be forever cherished by some, and forgotten in a jiffy by others. To top
the glory, friendships were forged and brotherhoods formed which may be the
essence of the journey yet to come in life, as rightly said by Martin Luther
King Jr., “we must live together as brothers or perish together as fools”.
- Swastik Panigrahi
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